nuclear-news

It’s getting harder to sell nuclear power

As Thursday Vote Looms on Two New Reactors, Popular Opposition May Make Selling Nuclear Power More Difficult CPS Wholesale Customers Already Facing Public Relations Battles  Public Citizen SAN ANTONIO – October 28 As a Thursday vote on two new nuclear reactors looms, cities around the state that purchase power from San Antonio’s municipal utility, City Public Services (CPS), are balking at the prospect of buying pricey nuclear power from the reactors.Three problems exist with the planned expansion at the South Texas Nuclear Project (STP) facility. First, nuclear power creates dangerous radioactive waste that no one has figured out how to dispose of safely.Second, nuclear power is expensive – the nuclear industry requires taxpayer subsidies to prop it up. Third, no one knows for certain just how much the construction of the two reactors will cost ratepayers…………………………

The San Antonio City Council votes Thursday to approve $400 million in bonds for nuclear energy, which will determine whether CPS moves forward with the project.

Growing opposition to nuclear power may make selling CPS’ unwanted shares of STP more difficult. Citizen opposition to the STP project already has caused delays in San Antonio, where the City Council put off a vote to issue nuclear bonds for a month. Wholesale customers of CPS such as the cities of Hondo, Georgetown and Kerrville also are seeing a rising tide of public discontent about nuclear power.

“In an energy market where demand is already down and cities could readily meet their needs with clean energy sources such as efficiency, solar, wind and more, cities looking to buy power from STP could be confronted with a public relations battle over nuclear power,” said Smith.

As Thursday Vote Looms on Two New Reactors, Popular Opposition May Make Selling Nuclear Power More Difficult | CommonDreams.org

October 29, 2009 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | 1, business and costs, USA | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear wastes, radioactive